Grant Fritchey | Red Gate Software

Team-based Development with

Version Control

Get in touch Grant Fritchey

scarydba.com

grant@scarydba.com

@gfritchey

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Goals

• Understand the value of version/source control for databases

• Learn the tools, standards, patterns and best practices needed to manage a database from source control

• Identify the necessary flow within a team needed to develop a database with source control

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HOW MANY OF YOU USE VERSION CONTROL FOR YOURAPPLICATION CODE?

C#, ASP.NET, Javascript, VB.NET, etc.

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HOW MANY OF YOU USE VERSION CONTROL FOR YOURAPPLICATION CODE?database

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Developers who refuse to use source/version

control should be fired, simple as that.

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Isn’t this too much trouble for my crappy

experimental program?

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Use source control because neither you nor

your developers are perfect.

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There are no excuses where you should

not use it.

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If it’s not in source control, it doesn’t exist.

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“…your database should always

be under source control right

next to your application code.”

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Reducing Risk

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You’re using version control

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You’re using version control

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Use Something

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GETTING STARTED WITH DATABASES IN VCS

Demo

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Additional Reasons for Source Control

• Backup & Restore

• Undo

• Audit changes

• Sandbox

• Branching/Merging

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Rules for Database Development

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Never use a shared database for development.

Always Have a Single, Authoritative Source

For Your Schema.

Always Version Your Database.

Dedicated or Shared Databases?

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Shared databases are not wrong

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The Ideal

• Each developer has a dedicated environment with a copy of the schema and minimal data.

• A shared integration environment where all developers’ changes are merged, available for developer testing.

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Naming Standards

• Usually vary by company

• ISO 1179

• Be consistent

• Use tools for enforcement (SQLCop)

• Document these lightly and JIT

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Style Standards

• Vary by individual

• Make code more readable.

• Use tools to re-format code to your liking.

– SQL Prompt

– SSMS Tools Pack

– Others

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Teamwork

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Teamwork

• Communication

– Team members need to be aware of (easily) what

others are doing.

• Coordination

– Teams need to work in a way that complements

each other.

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THE FLOW WITHIN TEAMSDemo

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Automation is Best

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Use Automation

• Development systems and tools need to work

for the team, not against them.

• Many IDEs and tools work well in team

environments, if you configure them.

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Get All Your Code

• Object DDL

• Assembly code

• Security code

• Configuration settings

• Jobs

• Lookup data

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AUTOMATIONDemo

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Best Practices

• Use version control for all code (including tests)

• Commit early, commit often

• Use tools

– If it’s hard, people don’t do it

• Train people

• Build often

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Automation

Automation

deployment package

deployment package

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3Back to

Development

FAIL

FAIL

FAIL

References

• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/115369/do-you-use-source-control-for-your-database-items

• http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001050.html

• http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2008/02/get-your-database-under-version-control.html

• http://www.ssw.com.au/ssw/Standards/Rules/RulesToBetterSQLServerDatabases.aspx

• http://odetocode.com/blogs/scott/archive/2008/01/30/three-rules-for-database-work.aspx

• Check in early, check in often -http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2008/08/check-in-early-check-in-often.html

• http://betterexplained.com/articles/a-visual-guide-to-version-control/

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A big thank you to our sponsors

Gold Partners

Silver & Track Partners

Platinum Partners

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A big thank you to our sponsors

Gold Partners

Silver & Track Partners

Platinum Partners

Get in touch Grant Fritchey

scarydba.com

grant@scarydba.com

@gfritchey

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